Motoring News

Expert analysis of every twist and turn of the F1 season.

The start of the first wet-weather race of the 2026 Formula 1 season descended into chaos. Leader Max Verstappen was the first to suffer from a lack of power while driving slowly during the formation laps behind the safety car, after which Lewis Hamilton came to a standstill and several other cars followed.
Race control was forced to stop the race with a red flag, after which there was a ...Keep reading

BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator Harry Benjamin rates how the drivers performed during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Leading F1 drivers are despairing at power unit software glitches that derailed the start of the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, with Lando Norris calling the electronic glitches "horrible" and further proof that F1 should move away from hybrids.
The start at a wet Sepang circuit was aborted after a large number of cars suffered crippling software issues. With the event being the first wet weather ...Keep reading

Elfyn Evans is the 2026 World Rally champion after Oliver Solberg crashed two corners from the finish in an incredible climax to the Rally Italy Sardinia title decider.
The Toyota driver, co-driven by Scott Martin, took a 21-point lead over Solberg into the season finale but starting first on the road put Evans on the back foot creating a tense conclusion that went to the final stage of the ...Keep reading

When the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia eventually got going after an hour and 33 minutes of delays, it became apparent that the intermediate was the tyre to be on among the opening laps - even if the Sepang circuit had looked like it was drying out.
At the front of the field, Ferrari and McLaren chose to go all-in on the dry tyres for the restart; Ferrari opted for the soft compound, while ...Keep reading

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have criticised Formula 1's engine regulations following a chaotic rain-affected Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, comparing the championship's complex power units to "LEGO" after software issues caused widespread power loss.
Although the Red Bull driver secured his 72nd career grand prix victory and the first win for Red Bull's in-house powertrain project ...Keep reading

The FIA has given insight into why Formula 1 cars experienced technical issues ahead of Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The start of the Sepang race was delayed by 40 minutes due to a downpour; then a chaotic formation lap saw the likes front-row starters Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton suffer from a glitch which rendered throttle input ineffective, with numerous cars coming to a ...Keep reading

Formula 1's move into your home is going rather well, with Drive to Survive being watched in lounges across the world for several years now and the F1 movie replacing it between seasons. Gaming has been a large part of this push, too. The EA Sports F1 game is growing, and McLaren and partner Logitech haven't let this go unnoticed. At its G PLAY 2026 event, the RS50 McLaren Racing Bundle was ...Keep reading

Jorge Martin says he found it “impossible to beat” Marc Marquez for victory at the Japanese Grand Prix even on what he felt was “one of my good days” in MotoGP. 
Martin put a strong challenge against the reigning world champion on Sunday after Aprilia delivered a vastly improved bike at Motegi compared to last year, with the 28-year-old leading from the front after claiming pole ...Keep reading

Lando Norris has revealed McLaren's ongoing straightline speed deficit is costing him almost two-tenths of a second per lap, labelling the situation "painful as hell".
The British driver endured a compromised Bahrain Grand Prix at Malaysia. After starting from fifth on the grid, Norris dropped to 16th on medium tyres as it became apparent that the intermediate tyres were the optimum ...Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli did not win the Bahrain Grand Prix, but his second place may be worth more than a victory at Sepang. With another 18 points on the board, the championship leader pulls clear again by taking advantage of another misfortune to hit his team-mate George Russell, who suffered an engine failure. Before heading to Singapore, the gap between the two men grows to 84 points!
Photos from F1 ...Keep reading

Mercedes driver George Russell labelled his misfortune as laughable following Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where a power unit failure cost him a podium finish late on.
Russell was a lowly seventh on the grid at Sepang, but the correct choice of intermediate tyres on a damp track and a lightning getaway saw him surge to second into Turn 1, behind team-mate Kimi ...Keep reading

Red Bull's Max Verstappen made his return to the top step of the podium at a "hectic" Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

He won on Formula 1’s last visit to Sepang almost a decade ago, and there was no stopping Max Verstappen in 2026 – despite the best efforts of the Malaysian weather, which meant the race ended almost three and a half hours after its scheduled start time.

Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory during Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, which was impacted by heavy rain, featured an entertaining crossover from intermediate tyres to slicks, and saw overtaking from start to finish – as well as a dramatic late retirement for George Russell.

Mercedes Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff says he has been left "massively annoyed and not in a happy place" following a chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia that ended with a late power unit failure for George Russell.
After starting from third and seventh, Kimi Antonelli and Russell made? incredible starts to take first and second, capitalising on polesitter Max Verstappen and ...Keep reading

The battle for the 2026 World Rally Championship title will be decided on the final Rally Italy Sardinia Power Stage after Elfyn Evans suffered a puncture in the penultimate stage.
The championship leader was forced to stop on stage 16 to change a front-right wheel in what proved to be a late twist as the title battle seemed to swing further towards rally leader Oliver Solberg. It is the second ...Keep reading

Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has opened up about the "very hectic" start to the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, revealing that a temporary loss of power derailed his getaway.
The Dutchman started the race from pole position but quickly dropped back as Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell overtook him at the race start. While his start was compromised, Verstappen ...Keep reading

Max Verstappen takes his and Red Bull's first win of the year with a dominant drive in a dramatic Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia that started amid chaotic and unprecedented scenes.