F1 has a clear priority for post-Japanese GP rule changes Formula 1 bosses are to prioritise rule changes aimed at addressing concerns the challenge and spectacle of qualifying has been ruined by the new 2026 cars, The Race has learned.It is hoped that work can be done in the break after the Japanese Grand Prix to push through regulation tweaks that can be implemented as early as the following round, the Miami GP in May.Amid the review process of the 202... Read more:

The Race

F1 has a clear priority for post-Japanese GP rule changes

F1 bosses have a clear priority fix for the planned post-Japanese GP rule changes

All the special F1 liveries for Japanese GP Formula 1's Japanese Grand Prix features the first one-off liveries of the 2026 season, with two teams bringing unique designs so far. HaasHaas is celebrating a season-long tie-up with Japanese entertainment company Toto Co, famous for Godzilla. The team describes it as the "first-ever collaboration with an entertainment IP in the history of the team". The livery was revealed by drivers Esteban Oc... Read more:

The Race

All the special F1 liveries for Japanese GP

Two F1 teams have brought special one-off liveries to Suzuka this weekend

Seven key questions for F1's Japanese GP Formula 1's 2026 season will go on a five-week hiatus after this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, following the recent cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races.There won't be as big a break in racing until the winter break in late December, leaving some key questions to be answered at the last F1 race for some time…How badly will Honda's home race go?Honda felt it made progress across the ... Read more:

The Race

Seven key questions for F1's Japanese GP

F1's short-notice cancellations makes the Japanese Grand Prix the last race weekend for ages. Here's what's at stake

Alonso to miss Japanese GP Thursday with first child due Fernando Alonso is to arrive a day late for the Japanese Grand Prix as he awaits the birth of his first child.The two-time Formula 1 champion revealed last year that he and partner Melissa Jimenez were to become parents, with the due date scheduled to clash with Japanese GP weekend.While skipping an entire race weekend to stay at home for the birth is not a realistic option, Alonso has managed to ... Read more:

The Race

Alonso to miss Japanese GP Thursday with first child due

Fernando Alonso is to arrive a day late to F1's Japanese GP as he awaits the birth of his first child

The Leclerc lap that's exposed how F1 2026 has ruined qualifying Odd. Strange. Counterintuitive.These are a few of the words that Formula 1 drivers have used to describe what the new 2026 cars are like in qualifying.With two events now complete, learnings have accelerated rapidly and everyone is starting to see the good and the bad of the regulations, even if opinions remain very divided.But there is a growing consensus on two themes, and they are partly linked... Read more:

The Race

The Leclerc lap that's exposed how F1 2026 has ruined qualifying

F1 2026's cars are 'confusing' themselves, as this striking Charles Leclerc case study shows

F1 has accidentally solved its dirty air problem Formula 1 has been preoccupied with the negative effect of downforce loss while following in another car’s dirty air for 20 years. Vast amounts of energy have been expended analysing and attempting to mitigate this through aerodynamic regulations, yet it has accidentally stumbled upon the fix among the myriad unintended consequences of the 2026 regulations.Set aside arguments about the nature of t... Read more:

The Race

F1 has accidentally solved its dirty air problem

F1 has spent decades trying to solve an aerodynamic issue it was never going to conquer. Now it's found a way around it

Two special F1 liveries for Japanese GP revealed Formula 1's Japanese Grand Prix features the first one-off liveries of the 2026 season, with two teams bringing unique designs so far. HaasHaas is celebrating a season-long tie-up with Japanese entertainment company Toto Co, famous for Godzilla. The team describes it as the "first-ever collaboration with an entertainment IP in the history of the team". The livery was revealed by drivers Esteban Oc... Read more:

The Race

All the special F1 liveries for Japanese GP

Two F1 teams have brought special one-off liveries to Suzuka this weekend

The problems for Cadillac now F1 reality is biting Sergio Perez declared Cadillac's "honeymoon is over" after finishing 16th on the team's Formula 1 debut earlier this month. That result, in the Australian Grand Prix, was one of a series of early 'wins' for the new team that was added to in China with both cars taking the chequered flag in the grand prix and Valtteri Bottas beating a car from an established rival in both qualifying and the grand p... Read more:

The Race

The problems for Cadillac now F1 reality is biting

Cadillac's F1 start can only be deemed a success, but it faces a massive uphill task to take the next step, as Edd Straw explains

Troubled Aston Martin to use one rookie FP1 slot early at Suzuka Aston Martin has become the surprise first Formula 1 team to announce a rookie driver for a practice session in 2026.F1 teams are obliged to hand over four practice sessions a season - two for each entry - to a rookie driver with fewer than two prior starts, though teams who already field a rookie (ie Racing Bulls with Arvid Lindblad) can part-fulfil the requirement by just running their actual si... Read more:

The Race

Troubled Aston Martin to use one rookie FP1 slot early at Suzuka

Aston Martin has become the surprise first F1 team to announce a rookie driver for a practice session in 2026

Honda needs 'magic' to avoid a painful next Aston Martin failure Two grands prix, no finishes with either car. Next up: the Japanese Grand Prix. Aston Martin and Honda face the real prospect of a very painful failure at Honda's home Formula 1 race.Suzuka will be tough "unless they can find some magic in the next 10 days", driver Lance Stroll said at the end of the China weekend. He half-jokingly added: "Pray with me!" But there’s no way out of this predicament ... Read more:

The Race

Honda needs 'magic' to avoid a painful next Aston Martin failure

Two grands prix, and no finish for either Aston Martin. Next up? The Japanese GP, where Honda faces the prospect of a brutal home F1 race

Yet another Williams car problem might be its most troubling The start of the Formula 1 season has brutally exposed the extent of Williams's car problems, and one that blighted Alex Albon's Chinese Grand Prix might be its most troubling.After turning up to testing late, being significantly overweight after all, and then unsurprisingly turning out slow as a result, the Williams FW48 has had a difficult birth.But as Albon said in China, "we can’t hide behind ... Read more:

The Race

Yet another Williams car problem might be its most troubling

There are other issues affecting Williams beyond its car being overweight. One that blighted Alex Albon's Chinese GP is of particular concern

Verstappen stripped of Nurburgring win Max Verstappen's crew has been disqualified from this Saturday's Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie race after winning on the road.Verstappen and team-mates Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon took a comfortable win in the four-hour event in the Red Bull Formula 1 driver's first competitive outing in the Mercedes-AMG GT3.But they were swiftly found to have used seven sets of tyres during race day instead... Read more:

The Race

Verstappen stripped of Nurburgring win

Max Verstappen's crew has been disqualified from this Saturday's Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie race after winning on the road

What happened in Verstappen's Nurburgring return race Red Bull Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen took his second win in two starts in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie in GT3 as part of his preparations for his upcoming Nurburgring 24 Hours debut.Verstappen, who previously won last year's NLS9 with Chris Lulham in a Ferrari, was competing this time in the #3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with GT ace team-mates Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon.Jun... Read more:

The Race

What happened in Verstappen's Nurburgring return race

Max Verstappen starred on his return to the Nurburgring, in a precursor to the 24-Hour event he'll compete in later this year and on debut with a n...

Rally champion's F1 dream suspended due to health issues Two-time World Rally champion Kalle Rovanpera has had to call off his Super Formula debut - and thus suspend his quest to reach Formula 1 - due to health problems.The 25-year-old, who had gone from rallying 'child prodigy' to world champion, had committed to a sensational switch from rallying to single-seater racing at the end of last year, having already dabbled impressively in Porsche Carrera ra... Read more:

The Race

Health problems suspend Rovanpera's F1 chase for now

Two-time World Rally champion Kalle Rovanpera has had to call off his Super Formula debut - and thus suspend his quest to reach Formula 1 - due to ...

Watch Max Verstappen racing at the Nurburgring LIVE Max Verstappen takes advantage of a weekend off from Formula 1 to take the next step in his build-up to the Nurburgring 24 Hours sportscar race by returning to the Nordschleife's regular championship on Saturday.A winner on his NLS debut last season, he's back in the series for its latest four-hour race in a Red Bull-backed GT3 Mercedes.You can watch the action live below - the race starts at 11am... Read more:

The Race

Watch Max Verstappen racing at the Nurburgring LIVE

Watch Max Verstappen in GT action on the Nurburgring Nordschleife in NLS2 - live!

The questions raised by Audi's shock F1 team boss exit The shock exit of Audi's team principal after just two races of its Formula 1 journey marks a dramatic, unexpected setback for the new works team.Jonathan Wheatley joined Audi less than a year ago, recruited from Red Bull Racing to focus on what was then Sauber's race performance, its trackside operations, and to be a key spokesperson for the team at management level.He did not have overall contro... Read more:

The Race

The questions raised by Audi's shock F1 team boss exit

The shock exit of Audi's team principal after just two races of its Formula 1 journey marks a dramatic, unexpected setback for the new works team

Aston Martin's curious team boss claim after Wheatley's Audi exit Aston Martin's lack of a "traditional" Formula 1 team principal is "by design", owner and chairman Lawrence Stroll has claimed, despite the expectation it will recruit ex-Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley.Wheatley's departure from Audi - with "immediate effect" - was announced by the German manufacturer on Friday, a day after it emerged he could join Aston Martin as its team boss.Aston Martin ... Read more:

The Race

Aston Martin's curious team boss claim after Wheatley's Audi exit

Just minutes after Audi announced its Aston Martin-linked team boss was leaving, Aston Martin issued an unusual statement of its own

Mercedes appoints new F1 deputy team boss Mercedes has updated its Formula 1 team’s leadership structure by appointing Bradley Lord as deputy team principal.Lord was previously Mercedes’ official team representative, which was added to his duties as chief communications officer and reflected an increased responsibility taking on formal media sessions and broadcast interviews.He will now be CEO and team principal Toto Wolff’s direct number... Read more:

The Race

Mercedes appoints new F1 deputy team boss

Mercedes has updated its Formula 1 team’s leadership structure by appointing Bradley Lord as deputy team principal

Audi F1 team principal Wheatley leaves 'with immediate effect' Former team principal Jonathan Wheatley has left Audi’s Formula 1 team, as he is expected to take up the same role at rival Aston Martin instead.Aston Martin wants a dedicated team principal after managing technical partner Adrian Newey adopted the role for 2026 alongside his main responsibilities.The move was widely expected to be a stop-gap solution - although when it was announced in November 2... Read more:

The Race

Audi F1 team principal Wheatley leaves 'with immediate effect'

Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley has left just two races into the 2026 F1 season - and is expected to seal a move to Aston Martin

Our verdict on Aston Martin trying to poach Audi's F1 team boss It would seem Adrian Newey wants to offload the 'team principal' aspect of his new 2026 F1 job role ASAP - and so Aston Martin is reportedly back in the market searching for someone to backfill that position. Audi's Jonathan Wheatley (not quite one full year into that organisation) has emerged as the number one target, but is he the right man for the job, is there a better candidate Lawrence Strol... Read more:

The Race

Our verdict on Aston Martin trying to poach Audi's F1 team boss

Our experts give their takes on Aston Martin as it searches for yet another team boss and is reportedly targeting Audi's Jonathan Wheatley