Motoring News

Friday saw Mercedes’ new package of upgrades break cover in Malaysia, but the day did not go entirely to plan for the Silver Arrows, with some of their rivals getting out of the blocks faster in both practice sessions.

There looked to be mixed fortunes for McLaren on Friday at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with Oscar Piastri admitting that the team appeared to have taken a step through the day.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the fastest time of Friday's second practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Max Verstappen emerged as the fastest driver in the long runs during the second free practice session for the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The Red Bull driver was running on medium tyres and, after adjusting for the different stint lengths and tyre compounds, came out ahead of the competition.
 
George Russell (+0.19s) in the Mercedes and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc (+0.32s) ...Keep reading

Adrien Fourmaux has moved into the lead of Rally Italy Sardinia to head a Hyundai 1-2 after a punishing opening loop that featured several punctures for World Rally Championship Rally1 crews.
Fourmaux was among those who managed to avoid tyre dramas and reached Friday’s midday service with a 4.6s advantage over team-mate Thierry Neuville.
Fourmaux claimed the opening stage of the day which ...Keep reading

George Russell reckons he needs to make a tweak to his Mercedes Formula 1 car as he believes it is “off the pace” at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The Mercedes driver finished second and seventh in the two Friday practice sessions, respectively 0.383s and 0.492s off pacesetters Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
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Formula 1Mercedes reveals F1 Bahrain GP ...Keep reading

The crash suffered by Takaaki Nakagami at Motegi on Friday carries a significant degree of drama, both for the rider and for Honda, which has seen the development of next year's MotoGP prototype seriously compromised.
Nakagami was due to contest what was very likely to have been his final wild-card outing, given that the exemptions allowing test riders to return to racing will be banned from ...Keep reading

Sky Sports Formula 1 commentator and former driver Martin Brundle has dismissed recent paddock speculation linking former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to a management role at Ferrari, following direct contact with the Briton.
Rumours surrounding Horner's future surfaced after he told The Times that Ferrari would be the only team he would work for without having an ownership stake ...Keep reading

Marco Bezzecchi admitted he had to head back to the pitlane and wait for the conditions to improve after nearly crashing in the opening practice for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Heading out at the recently resurfaced Motegi track for the first time on Friday morning, Bezzecchi had a big scare as he almost highsided off his factory Aprilia exiting Turn 11.
The Italian was able to save a crash ...Keep reading

Formula 1's return to Sepang International Circuit saw Max Verstappen topping Friday's FP1, and that was enough to get fans buzzing about a repeat of his 2017 win at this track. Then FP2 ended, and the Dutchman finished fourth on the timesheets. Obvious practice caveats apply, but let's jump into what the four-time champion thought of his performance today.
Why no soft tyre stint?
Verstappen ...Keep reading

Marc Marquez says he will go on the “attack” from Saturday onwards at the Japanese Grand Prix, admitting he faces a deficit to KTM rival Pedro Acosta.
A year after wrapping up his seventh MotoGP title at Motegi, the factory Ducati rider ended the opening day of running in third place, behind his younger brother Alex Marquez and Austrian GP winner Acosta.
Although the younger Marquez ...Keep reading

With seven or eight Formula 1 weekends remaining in 2026 – depending on the situation in the Middle East – Red Bull has just two objectives left: preventing 2026 from becoming the team’s first winless year since 2015 and, secondly, learning as much as possible ahead of next season.
Regarding the first objective, Verstappen has said on multiple occasions that Baku was theoretically Red ...Keep reading

Red Bull Formula 1 driver Isack Hadjar has revealed that he still does not have full movement of his wrist, but says his condition is "good enough" and joked he did a "good job" during his time out of the race seat.
The French-Algerian driver was forced to sit out the Dutch, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix after sustaining a fracture during the summer break.
Hadjar made his racing return at ...Keep reading

Alpine Formula 1 chief Flavio Briatore says his team will move on from Franco Colapinto's collision with team-mate Pierre Gasly as the squad fights Racing Bulls in the championship.
Colapinto triggered a three-car accident at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, involving Gasly and McLaren's Lando Norris, with all three drivers retiring from the event. Both Alpine drivers were on for valuable points ...Keep reading

Alex Rins joked he 'shat his pants' when Jack Miller leaned on the bike while giving him a taxi ride back to the pitlane at the end of Friday Practice for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Rins’s factory Yamaha bike ran out of fuel shortly after he crossed the finish line in the hour-long session, leaving him stranded on track.
After signalling other riders to stop, the Spaniard got a lift back ...Keep reading

Sepang has returned to the Formula 1 calendar for the 2026 season after almost a decade's absence, and more than half of the grid has never turned a wheel in anger on the iconic circuit. Oscar Piastri is one of these drivers. But when talking about how long it would take him to learn, he made a comment about the current cars that many fans believe prove his distaste for the 2026 ...Keep reading

After the lights go out in Malaysia, bettors will be watching closely to make smart betting decisions in real time.

Live coverage of Friday's second Formula 1 practice session for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Charles Leclerc went fastest in second practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia as the 90% threat of rain didn’t come to fruition during the Formula 1 outing. 
The Ferrari driver set a 1m37.528s at Sepang that put him 0.099s quicker than second-placed Isack Hadjar, who finished third in FP1, with Lando Norris completing the top three.
It’s come on the weekend that Sepang has ...Keep reading

Pedro Acosta has a familiar good feeling aboard his KTM RC16, as he looks to back up his breakthrough victory with another at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. 
The 22-year-old, who finally broke his grand prix duck last time out in Austria, says Friday at Motegi felt similar to the 2024 Japanese weekend, when he famously scored his first pole position.
Read ...Keep reading