Formula One

Formula 1 calls off April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia amid Iran war

Formula 1 and its governing body FIA said the Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not happen in April because of safety concerns related to the Iran war. Both countries have been struck during Iran's response after the United States and Israel launched a wave of attacks on Iran. The announcement was made early Sunday morning in Shanghai ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. "Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East region, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April," F1 said. "While several alternatives were considered, it was ultimately decided that no substitutions will be made in April." F1 was due to race in Bahrain on April 12 and in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on April 19. "While this was a difficult decision to take, it is unfortunately the right one at this stage considering the current situation in the Middle East," said Stefano Domenicali, president and CEO of F1. The FIA said the two races "will not take place in April"

Hamilton 'incredibly grateful' to Ferrari as long wait for F1 podium ends

Lewis Hamilton says he is "incredibly grateful" to Ferrari for letting him guide the development of the car that put him back on a Grand Prix podium for the first time since 2024. Hamilton's third-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix followed a race-long battle with teammate Charles Leclerc and what Hamilton called "just a kiss" of contact between the pair. It ended a long wait for a finish in the top three for Hamilton in a full Formula 1 race since his blockbuster move from Mercedes, which took the win Sunday with the driver who replaced him at the team, Kimi Antonelli. "To see them listen and put some of those things that I'd asked for on the car I'm just incredibly grateful to them for listening on that side of things," Hamilton said. "It just makes you feel more united with everyone because you're moving in the same direction. I'm looking forward to getting back next week to (Ferrari HQ in) Maranello and seeing everybody. Big, big push." Hamilton's first year with Ferrari w

George Russell takes pole as Mercedes seal 1-2 in China sprint qualifying

George Russell praised his Mercedes as a "joy to drive" as he took pole for the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday to continue his team's dominant start to the new era of Formula 1. Russell is the driver to beat in Shanghai after his dominant win in Australia last week. With teammate Kimi Antonelli qualifying second and no other team close, Mercedes is on target for another 1-2 finish in Saturday's sprint, which is followed by qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix. "The car has been feeling amazing," Russell said. "The engine is performing really well and today it was a real joy to drive." Lando Norris was 0.621 of a second adrift, a vast gap in F1 terms, in third for McLaren. Only Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari in fourth and Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri in fifth got within a second of Russell's time. Hamilton might be the biggest threat to the Mercedes pair because the Ferrari is quick off the line, which allowed teammate Charles Leclerc to jump into the lead in Australia l

Bigger. Greener. Faster? Formula 1's 'net zero' gambit is a good start

F1 already uses 10% ethanol-blended fuel and has adopted green steps such as banning single-use plastics and powering garages, paddocks, and broadcast centres with solar energy and used vegetable oil

Verstappen takes on 24-hour 'bucket list' race at famed Nurburgring track

Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen is taking on a "bucket list" challenge as he prepares to tackle his first 24-hour sportscar race at the historic Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit. Verstappen and his sportscar racing team said Monday that he plans to take on the storied endurance race in May, sharing a Red Bull -liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 car with teammates Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer. "The Nurburgring Nordschleife is a special place. There's no other track like it," Verstappen said. "The 24h Nurburgring is a race that's been on my bucket list for a long time, so I'm really thrilled we can make it happen now." Running nearly 13 miles (20.8 kilometers) through wooded German hills, with more than 150 corners and barriers often close to the track, the Nordschleife layout at the Nurburgring is known for high-risk thrills. F1 hasn't used it since 1976, when then-reigning champion Niki Lauda suffered severe burns in a crash. Verstappen made his debut at the ..

Verstappen to Hamilton: How much will F1 drivers earn in 2026 season

A glance at any F1 driver's social media instantly highlights the perks of the profession, private jets, luxury cars, and exotic off-season escapes.

Liam Lawson says 2026 Formula 1 cars are not 'super fun' to drive

New Zealand driver Liam Lawson is looking forward to the start of the new Formula 1 season in Melbourne this weekend, although he says the new-era cars are not "super fun" to drive. Lawson is hoping to build on a troubled 2025 season in which he lasted only two races with Red Bull before being demoted to the sister Racing Bulls team. He had mixed results and was outshone by his teammate Isack Hadjar who has now joined Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Lawson was the last driver to have his place on the 2026 grid confirmed and has been joined at Racing Bulls by rookie Arvid Lindblad. In a New Zealand radio interview Tuesday, Lawson said new regulations which have brought in hybrid power units and different aero setups have been "challenging." "In some ways the car moves around quite a bit more and, it depends on how you look at it, that can be more enjoyable," he said. "But obviously we're trying to extract every bit of lap time out of the car and in some ways it feels like you can't atta

F1 & India: Red Bull's Moto Jam, Lindblad and revival of unfinished chapter

Arvid Lindblad's Delhi showrun, Adani's reported interest in Buddh and a sports minister visit sharpen the debate over F1's return, with Kush Maini embedded inside Alpine's F1 structure

Changes to Formula One's engine rules could mostly impact Mercedes

Formula One 's governing body has reached a compromise with manufacturers that changes the way the compression ratio will be measured midway through this season and in the 2027 season. New engine rules set out a compression ratio of 16:1 - a measurement of how tightly the pistons squeeze the mixture of fuel and air before it ignites, and therefore how much power can be generated. The regulations include a test to stop teams exceeding 16:1, but the checks happen at "ambient temperature." Some rival teams have suggested Mercedes found a way for components to behave differently when they heat up during use, beating the test, though Mercedes says its engine is fully legal. The compromise announced Saturday means the compression ratio will be controlled in both hot and cold conditions from June 1 and only when hot from the 2027 season thereafter. There are seven F1 races before the June 1 test. "The regulations introduced for 2026 represent one of the biggest changes in recent memory,

Here's how dropping a single F1 spot can shave millions off team's earnings

Below is a breakdown of how the 2025 Constructors' Championship positions translate into approximate earnings.

Adani Group working to get Formula 1 back to Greater Noida: Karan Adani

The Adani Group is working on strategies to restart the Formula 1 motor sport at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, Karan Adani, the MD of Adani Cement said on Saturday. According to official sources, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently visited the circuit and held talks with officials from Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority. "I'm very excited... obviously the Buddh circuit comes (as) part of the deal. I'm very personally engaged in terms of bringing Formula 1 back into India. I think India has a lot of potential. There's a lot of following in Formula 1 from India, " Adani, who is also the MD of Adani Ports & SEZ, said while speaking at the 70th Foundation Day of All India Management Association (AIMA) in the national capital. The Adani Group is in the fray to buy the troubled Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) -- the flagship company of the Jaypee Group. In November 2025, the infrastructure-to-energy group won majority lenders' vote for takeover

Formula One's 2026 reset signals motorsport's shift beyond the roar

As Formula One's 2026 reset approaches, motorsport is learning to exist without the roar that once defined it

Lando Norris clinches maiden F1 title after dramatic Abu Dhabi finale

Despite Verstappen's late-season surge, marked by consistently dominant performances and culminating in his eighth win of the season, Norris held firm.

Max Verstappen takes pole for title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Max Verstappen took pole position for the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of Formula 1 title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on Saturday. The thrilling three-way battle will be decided on Sunday at the Yas Marina Circuit. The McLaren driver Norris is 12 points ahead of Red Bull's Verstappen and 16 ahead of McLaren teammate Piastri. Verstappen is aiming for his fifth straight F1 title Norris and Piastri are chasing their first. All three drivers have won seven races. Pole position is crucial in Abu Dhabi, with every driver winning from pole since 2015. Verstappen had already set the fastest lap on his first go but went even quicker on his second attempt and set a lap time of 1 minute, 22.207 seconds, making him .201 faster than Norris and .230 quicker than Piastri. That was insane, Verstappen said over team radio after his eighth pole of the season and 48th overall. Yes. Lovely. Verstappen kissed his girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, and shook hands with McLaren CEO Zak .

Abu Dhabi set for epic F1 finale as Norris, Piastri, Verstappen chase title

Norris leads the table with 408 points, but Verstappen's Qatar win cut the gap to just 12. Piastri sits only four points behind Verstappen, keeping all three firmly in contention.

EA cancels F1 26, plans to release paid DLC expansion to F1 25 next year

EA says it will not launch a standalone F1 26 game, choosing instead to roll out a premium F1 25 DLC next year ahead of a fully rebooted title in 2027

Formula 1's new fuel is data, but the thrill still runs on instincts

Technology has rewritten how Formula 1 speaks, in a language made of data and algorithms, but not of what it feels

F1 leader Oscar Piastri honoured with personal grandstand at Aus GP

Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri will be able to zoom past his own grandstand in next year's Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne's Albert Park. The Australian GP announced late Monday that the Piastri Grandstand would be located on the main straight, opposite pit lane. The 24-year-old Piastri, born and raised in Melbourne, leads the F1 championship this year with with 14 of the 24 races completed. He placed second to his McLaren teammate Lando Norris at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Aug. 3. Piastri will join a number of other Australian drivers who have a grandstand named for them, including Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, Daniel Ricciardo and Mark Webber. It feels very surreal, and I never thought this would happen but the support is incredible and I can't wait to see it all come together next March," Piastri said. Seeing all the fans in my own grandstand directly opposite the McLaren garage is going to be an amazing experience and I'm really looking forward to feeling the energ

Hamilton says he's 'useless' after teammate's pole, hints at driver swap

Lewis Hamilton called himself absolutely useless and suggested Ferrari should change drivers after he qualified 12th for the Hungarian Grand Prix and teammate Charles Leclerc took pole position. It was a new low in a difficult first season with Ferrari for seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton, who qualified outside the top 10 for the second race in a row. "I'm useless, absolutely useless," Hamilton told British broadcaster Sky Sports. The team have no problem. You've seen the car's on pole. So they probably need to change driver. Hamilton had said every time, every time over the radio after he was eliminated in the second part of qualifying. That signified that it's me every time, he clarified to Sky later. Qualifying problems continue =================== Hamilton had earlier seemed set to qualify 13th, and he was only promoted to 12th after the second part of qualifying had finished. That was because Kimi Antonelli's time was struck out after it was noticed the Mercedes rooki

F1 champion Max Verstappen to stay at Red Bull for 2026, confirms extension

Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen says he is staying with the Red Bull team for next year, ending months of speculation over his future. For me, it's always been quite clear, and also for next year," the four-time champion said Thursday ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. "I'm discussing with the team already the plans the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I'm also staying with the team for next year. Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull through 2028. At recent races he had deflected direct questions about whether he'd stay with the team next year, and there had been indications that a performance-related clause could allow him to exit the contract earlier. The exact details of any clause are not public. Mercedes driver George Russell had said he believed his team was holding talks with Verstappen. Verstappen's comments come less than a month after Christian Horner was removed from his role as Red Bull team principal after 20 years and replaced by