Motoring News

On the latest episode of The Chequered Flag Podcast, Harry Benjamin, Alice Powell and Bec Clancy discuss how Kimi Antonelli benefitted from a slice of luck to take the win in Japan and feel that Mercedes will be ruing the extended break from racing in the coming month.

The team react to the Japanese GP and Max Verstappen’s comments on his future.

The team react to the Japanese GP and Max Verstappen’s comments on his future.

Haas Formula 1 team principal Ayao Komatsu has absolved Franco Colapinto of any blame after Oliver Bearman crashed out of the Japanese Grand Prix.
After qualifying a lowly 18th and making an earlier pitstop than most, Bearman was battling Colapinto for 17th when he lost control at 308km/h coming into Spoon, crashing his Haas car with a 50G impact. The young Briton hobbled out of his car and was ...Keep reading

At Suzuka, the yo-yo effect was slightly less extreme than during the season opener in Melbourne, although the overall picture still did not satisfy all of the drivers. Lando Norris ultimately crossed the line in fifth place and saw that – together with Oscar Piastri’s strong showing – as a sign that McLaren is making significant progress.
The racing as a whole, however, left the reigning ...Keep reading

On the latest episode of The Chequered Flag Podcast, 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill thinks that if Max Verstappen is not enjoying the sport any more following regulation changes then perhaps he needs to take a break.

A busy three-day event at the 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship reaches its conclusion today as the sim racers ready themselves for Round 3, the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The drivers and teams report back on all the action from at Suzuka for the of the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen was limited to P8 in the Japanese Grand Prix following further struggles with his Red Bull car.

Charles Leclerc believes "we got a little unlucky" during the Japanese Grand Prix due to an ill-timed Safety Car, with the Ferrari driver salvaging third place.

McLaren enjoyed their highest scoring round of the season as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished second and fifth respectively in Japan.

Winner: Kimi Antonelli
Few people would have bet against a Mercedes driver leading the standings after the opening leg of the season. But even fewer people would have gambled on Kimi Antonelli as Mercedes' lead driver three weekends into the season.
Of course, there are various factors behind Antonelli getting ahead of team-mate George Russell, but the young Italian won't and shouldn't care ...Keep reading

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

McLaren's "massive step forward" in performance during the Japanese Grand Prix proved that the Woking outfit has the pace to "hang on", according to former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris brought home a double-points finish for McLaren with a second and fifth-place finish, respectively. This came after a torrid start to the season for ...Keep reading

Austin will play host to the third round of the 2026 MotoGP season. 
The United States Grand Prix will cap off the opening leg of the campaign following previous flyaway races in Thailand and Brazil. 
Following COTA, MotoGP will head to Jerez for the European leg of the season, albeit after a four-week break due to the postponement of the Qatar Grand Prix.
2026 MotoGP United States GP ...Keep reading

MotoGP world champions Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo have welcomed Jorge Martin's return to winning ways in the sprint race at the United States Grand Prix on Saturday. 
Although 2024 world champion Martin snatched the race from 2022 & 2023 MotoGP king Bagnaia on the last lap, the defeated factory Ducati rider acknowledged the significance of the win for the Spaniard. 
Martin ...Keep reading

The safety implications of Formula 1's new technical regulations have rocketed to the top of the agenda after Oliver Bearman's massive accident in the Japanese Grand Prix. The Haas driver had been a second behind Franco Colapinto on their 21st lap when the gap narrowed suddenly and unexpectedly because of a huge difference in electrical boost as they approached the Spoon corner.
It's understood ...Keep reading

Following an interesting Japanese Grand Prix won by the impressive Kimi Antonelli, the podium sitters retreated to the calm of the cooldown room. With the Italian sat beside Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, they watched Ollie Bearman's violent crash as he swerved to avoid a slow Franco Colapinto.
The trio reacted in unison as they watched the replay of the Haas hitting the barriers in what ...Keep reading

Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen tells BBC Sport he is "not enjoying" the sport after changes to the rules this season.

George Russell was left frustrated by the bad luck he has recently endured after losing his Formula 1 championship lead at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver enjoyed the perfect start to 2026 by winning the Melbourne opener and Shanghai sprint, but team-mate Kimi Antonelli has since taken a nine-point advantage following victories at the Chinese and Japanese grands prix.
It’s ...Keep reading