Motorsport

The Mercedes team has taken a big swing by introducing a substantial aerodynamic update package at a circuit Formula 1 hasn't visited since 2017. Has it missed?
Probably not – but, because the upgrade is a major one, Mercedes has committed to it on both cars so it has been unable to run back-to-back comparisons between old and new in identical conditions. This has added to the challenges of ...Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli will start third on the Bahrain Grand Prix grid thanks to Isack Hadjar's five-place grid penalty, but after Mercedes introduced a seven-piece upgrade package at Sepang, the driver's expectations were much higher before he started driving. He now places his hopes on using the powerful undercut this circuit may have to offer.
Antonelli looked like the man to beat after what ...Keep reading

Lando Norris was left frustrated by a power unit problem that left him just sixth on the grid for the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The McLaren driver was six tenths off Red Bull’s polesitter Max Verstappen at Sepang on Saturday, setting a 1m35.757s that put Norris just 0.005s ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri in seventh.
Norris reckons his deficit came via a lack of speed on ...Keep reading

Following acute tyre difficulties for some riders during today's sprint race at Motegi, MotoGP tyre supplier Michelin has taken the extreme step of banning the soft compound for tomorrow's Japanese Grand Prix. 
Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia were particularly affected by high temperatures on the soft rear compound, leading to worrying television images and some speculation that Michelin ...Keep reading

Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) is handed a 5-place penalty for using a new power unit element outside his allocation.
Franco Colapinto (Alpine) is handed a 15-place penalty: 5 for the collision he caused in Baku, 10 for using a new V6 outside his allocation.
Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) is handed a 30-place penalty for using several new power unit elements outside his ...Keep reading

Oliver Solberg further boosted his World Rally Championship title hopes by snatching the Rally Italy Sardinia lead from Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville after a dramatic Saturday morning.
Starting the morning 12.3s behind overnight leader Neuville, Solberg stunned the field winning two of the three stages to move into a 2.7s lead. The surge to lead has further ignited his title hopes, heading into ...Keep reading

Mercedes brought a substantial upgrade package to Sepang for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, and pace was supposed to be strong for the Silver Arrows. Kimi Antonelli teased something special after he topped FP3, but qualifying proved to be difficult. Toto Wolff believes there is "something else is going on" that is hindering his team's pace.
Championship leader Antonelli qualified on the second ...Keep reading

Enea Bastianini has labelled the last-lap penalty he received for a track limits infringement in the Japanese GP sprint as “unfair”, claiming he did not gain any time.
Tech3 rider Bastianini was running in third place ahead of LCR Honda’s Diogo Moreira when Jorge Martin suddenly fell into his clutches due to heavy tyre degradation.
As they began battling for place on the final lap ...Keep reading

After every Formula 1 qualifying session, Motorsport.com publishes each team's qualifying record in terms of team-mate battles.
This record is based exclusively on qualifying results so that grid penalties don't alter the statistics.
When a driver can't put in a representative lap time due to a technical issue or an incident, this will be mentioned in the table.
Read ...Keep reading

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will share the front row for the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, setting up a race start that has fans excited to see their former rivalry reignite.
Verstappen secured pole position for the race at the Sepang International Circuit, edging out Hamilton by 0.298 seconds. Rounding out the top five in qualifying were Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, Mercedes' Kimi ...Keep reading

Max Verstappen took his first pole of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign to deliver on his early weekend promise by dominating qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. 
The Red Bull driver was fastest in all three sessions after also topping FP1 on Friday to take his first pole since the 2025 Abu Dhabi finale with a 1m35.130s at Sepang.
Verstappen will be joined on the front row by Lewis ...Keep reading

Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc has revealed that hand-drawn pictures from young supporters are the fan gifts that affect him the most.
Speaking in a social media video posted by the Maranello outfit, Leclerc opened up about his relationship with the passionate Tifosi and the special gifts he receives.
When asked if he has a favourite gift or one that has made him emotional, the ...Keep reading

 Pramac’s Jack Miller says he can “almost guarantee” that Michelin will mandate the untested hard tyre for the Japanese Grand Prix after several MotoGP riders faced severe tyre degradation in the sprint.
The main talking point after Saturday’s half-distance race was tyre wear, with Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia in particular suffering severe drop-off on the soft ...Keep reading

Formula 1 will race in conditions hot enough to force the FIA to declare this weekend in Malaysia a heat hazard. For that reason, drivers can choose to use a cooling vest during sessions - a tool that helps regulate their body temperature. But George Russell won't be doing that, as he blames the cost cap for Mercedes not having the funds to develop it under the restrictions. 
The Bahrain Grand ...Keep reading

KTM rider Pedro Acosta has criticised Alex Marquez after the Gresini Ducati rider took out both Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio on the first lap of the Motegi sprint on Saturday. 
The incident brought a swift end to another promising day for Acosta, who had started the sprint on the front row after scoring his first grand prix win in Austria last month. 
The stewards agreed that the crash ...Keep reading

As Formula 1 descends on Malaysia for the Bahrain Grand Prix this Saturday, the grid's watch game was on full display. Richard Mille, TAG Heuer, IWC, Tudor, Audemars Piguet, Breitling, and H. Moser & Cie. all had skin in the game trackside, and with prices ranging from high four figures to $2.2million for Lewis Hamilton's, there's plenty to love.
Lewis Hamilton's watch sits at the very top as ...Keep reading

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton says a secluded trip to the mountains with his dogs Roscoe and Coco during the COVID-19 pandemic is the single day of his life he would most like to relive.
In a recent social media video, the 41-year-old Ferrari driver was asked to choose one day from his past to experience again. Bypassing his 106 grand prix victories and seven drivers' ...Keep reading

Marc Marquez closed the gap to world championship leader Jorge Martin by claiming victory in the sprint race at Motegi on Saturday.
Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini crossed the line second and third but were both demoted a place after the finish for exceeding track limits, giving Moreira his best MotoGP finish.
KTM's Pedro Acosta was taken out of the race by Marc's brother Alex on the ...Keep reading

Kimi Antonelli topped final practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia to recover from a disappointing Friday for the championship-leading Mercedes outfit.
The Silver Arrows brought a heavily upgraded W17 to Sepang, but only managed second and fifth in FP1 and seventh and eighth in FP2 with other teams looking stronger.
But the dominant outfit of 2026 responded perfectly on Saturday ...Keep reading

Joan Mir’s injury and Takaaki Nakagami’s fractured collarbone, which required surgery after Friday’s crash at Motegi, have forced Honda to call up Aleix Espargaro, who will return to MotoGP action next weekend in Indonesia, Motorsport.com has learned.
The initial plan was for the Spaniard to continue recovering from the severe injury he suffered to the base of his spine in a testing ...Keep reading