Motoring News

Oscar Piastri finished Friday's running ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix with the fastest time, the McLaren driver posting a 1m 30.133s in Free Practice 2.

Lando Norris was left to rue a “pretty bad day” after experiencing technical issues during both of Friday’s practice sessions at the Japanese Grand Prix, with the day bringing mixed fortunes for McLaren amid Oscar Piastri setting the pace in Free Practice 2.

Oscar Piastri topped the times in Free Practice 2 for the Japanese Grand Prix, beating Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets in the second practice hour ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, the McLaren driver leading the way from the Mercedes pair of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

McLaren is expecting no changes to the 2026 Formula 1 pecking order despite a very strong showing in second practice at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
The Woking outfit, which has won the last two titles, controlled FP2 via Oscar Piastri, whose world champion team-mate Lando Norris finished fourth amid issues with his hydraulics.
It was nonetheless some much-needed positivity for ...Keep reading

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 two cars.  
The SF-26s will therefore contest the third round of the calendar with no major changes ...Keep reading

Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso has shared an update after the birth of his first child.
The 44-year-old driver arrived late at the Suzuka Circuit for "personal family reasons", which have now been confirmed to be the arrival of his child with his partner, Melissa Jimenez.
"I’m a little jet-lagged because I landed this morning, but here we are," Alonso told DAZN Spain after the ...Keep reading

McLaren's Oscar Piastri sets the pace in second practice at the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri sets the pace in second practice at the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Former IndyCar driver and F1 TV presenter James Hinchcliffe believes Carlos Sainz is facing a "defining moment" in his career after joining Williams.
The Spaniard was left looking for a new seat after he was replaced at Ferrari by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton from 2025. After weighing up multiple options, Sainz ultimately signed with Williams.
The Grove outfit is currently battling ...Keep reading

Red Bull F1 team principal Laurent Mekies admitted his squad is "very far" from the frontrunners in Japan after crippling balance issues have left his drivers off the pace. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar ended the day in 10th and 15th respectively, over 1.3 seconds off the front, after Red Bull struggled to dial in the balance of its RB22, which saw substantial upgrades in the shape of a revised ...Keep reading

Formula 1 stewards were busy after opening practice for this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix as Friday's FP1 saw three separate incidents be investigated afterwards.
Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz were under the spotlight, though all incidents resulted in no further action at Suzuka.
One was between world champions Hamilton and ...Keep reading

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen says his Red Bull Formula 1 car is "bleeding a lot of lap time" from significant balancing issues in Japanese Grand Prix free practice.
In a Red Bull RB22 that featured upgrades including a reshaped sidepod and a tweaked floor, Verstappen was seventh in Friday morning's FP1 session, eight tenths adrift of leader George Russell in the Mercedes. Verstappen ...Keep reading

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 until November 2025 that Honda’s F1 project was in a completely different state compared to ...Keep reading

Ferrari chairman John Elkann admitted that the Maranello outfit "fell short of ambitions" in 2025, but assured its stakeholders that "racing is as much about learning as winning".
The Fred Vasseur-led team finished the 2025 Formula 1 season fourth in the constructors' standings. After Lewis Hamilton joined the team at the start of the year, he took time to adjust to the new team. While he ...Keep reading

Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez are the favourites for victory at the Circuit of the Americas for different reasons.
Aprilia's Bezzecchi has been on a strong run of form in MotoGP, having dominated the last four grands prix across 2025 and 2026 seasons. He is also on the verge of breaking an 11-year old record for most consecutive laps led in MotoGP.
But the Italian will face stern ...Keep reading

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 top a Silver Arrows 1-2, but Mercedes struggled ...Keep reading

Live coverage of Friday's second practice session for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

George Russell set the fastest time in Free Practice 1 for the Japanese Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver leading team mate Kimi Antonelli.

Aston Martin Formula 1 ambassador Pedro de la Rosa has stated Adrian Newey’s team principal job “will remain unchanged” and Jonathan Wheatley isn’t joining the squad “for the time being”.
Wheatley officially left his position at the rival Audi team last Friday ”due to personal reasons”, one day after Motorsport revealed he was set to replace Newey as Aston Martin’s team ...Keep reading