Motoring News

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari set the pace as the 2026 F1 campaign kicked off with the opening practice session for the Australian Grand Prix.

The effect of the US/Israeli military action against Iran has already been felt in the F1 paddock: on Wednesday in Melbourne, there were no completed cars in the garages and many team personnel were yet to arrive, owing to flight delays and cancellations. As such the mandatory ‘curfew' on working hours was suspended and the pitlane remained a hive of industry long into the night.
For those ...Keep reading

Aston Martin's dire start to the season has left Fernando Alonso in a "hard mental place", says team principal Adrian Newey.

Former Formula 1 driver Timo Glock has branded Aston Martin's start to the 2026 season as "disastrous" and has questioned whether it would be possible for the Silverstone outfit to change power unit partners from 2027.
2026 marks the start of Aston Martin's exclusive power unit partnership with Honda, and while the Japanese manufacturer has enjoyed a lot of success in recent years, it has ...Keep reading

McLaren Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri topped Free Practice 2 at the Australian Grand Prix, leading both Mercedes cars.
Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the first part of the session, with the frontrunners on hard tyres. The Ferrari driver lapped in 1m20.637s, leading Piastri in 1m20.638s, Kimi Antonelli in 1m20.801s, George Russell in 1m20.984s and Charles Leclerc in 1m21.478s.
Mercedes then ...Keep reading

2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button has raised concerns about Aston Martin's lack of running in the first day of practice ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
Button, who became an ambassador for the Silverstone outfit ahead of the 2026 season, noted that the team will not have learned anything from the first practice session.
Fernando Alonso sat out the hour-long session due to a power ...Keep reading

Aston Martin made a “conscious decision” to pick Honda Formula 1 engines, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has insisted.
Aston Martin is bracing itself for a calamitous Australian Grand Prix, and potentially an equally disastrous 2026 F1 season, due to its Honda power unit’s crippling flaws.
Excessive engine vibrations keep causing battery failures, to the extent that the team is ...Keep reading

Adrian Newey has revealed that Aston Martin has no more spare batteries for its Honda powertrains at the Australian Grand Prix, and that he feels "powerless" amid the current situation the team is in for 2026.
Aston Martin has endured an arduous prelude to the 2026 season, with its key issues traced to Honda's powertrain - which produces excessive vibrations when in operation.
These ...Keep reading

Arvid Lindblad has received some words of wisdom from veteran F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and Racing Bulls team mate Liam Lawson before he makes his debut in the sport at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri led the standings for the majority of 2025, but ultimately lost out on the Drivers' Championship to his team mate Lando Norris.

Ferrari led the way during the opening practice session of 2026 in Australia, with Charles Leclerc setting the pace ahead of team mate Lewis Hamilton.

Live coverage of Friday's first Formula 1 practice session for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton set the fastest times in opening practice at the Australian Grand Prix.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc headed team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen to lead the first practice session of Formula 1's new era that starts at the Australian Grand Prix.
Leclerc's last-minute effort of 1m20.267s demoted team-mate Hamilton after a relatively uneventful first practice session of F1's new regulations era.
Most teams wasted little time getting up to speed in ...Keep reading

Former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick has broken her silence after she was noticeably missing from Sky Sports Formula 1's on-screen broadcast line-up for the 2026 F1 season.
While many assumed the decision had come from the broadcaster to change things up for the new season, Patrick has claimed that she decided it was time for her to step away and move on. 
"From my first Sky ...Keep reading

With more than 25 minutes remaining in the first F2 session of 2026, Colton Herta lost the rear of his car and crashed, sending debris across the track and causing a red flag.
Herta was exiting turn 10, and it appears his car lost it early to mid-corner, sliding toward the inside of the track and coming to a rest next to the barriers. 
 
Able to safely hop out of his Hitech F2 car ...Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton has confessed that he is yet to give his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc a wedding present.
The Monegasque driver married Alexandra Saint Mleux in a private civil wedding in Monaco on 28 February, before celebrating at a bigger wedding event with their close friends and family next year.
Hamilton was quizzed about what he gifted the newlyweds during the drivers' press ...Keep reading

Alpine Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly has become a Givenchy Gentleman global ambassador for the Gentleman Society Eau de Parfum Sport.
Sharing the milestone on social media ahead of the 2026 F1 season-opener in Australia, Gasly, who will also become the face of the fragrance, wrote: “Start of an exciting journey! Extremely honoured to become Givenchy Gentleman global ambassador for the ...Keep reading

Former F1 TV presenter and regular talking head on Netflix’s Drive to Survive Will Buxton has joked about becoming a meme thanks to the popular docuseries.
Drive to Survive, which was first released in 2019, has been huge for the popularity of the championship, especially with a younger and more female audience and in the United States.
In addition to offering fans a behind-the-scenes look ...Keep reading

Oliver Bearman has described a slump in his 2025 performance that left him fearing for his seat with the Haas Formula 1 team, admitting that it was "packing your bags" territory if the mistakes continued.
The Briton's rookie campaign was overall very impressive, with him finishing three points ahead of his experienced team-mate Esteban Ocon in 13th place. But despite this, the Hungarian Grand ...Keep reading