Motoring News

Max Verstappen has hailed Red Bull’s good start with their new power unit at pre-season testing as “very positive”, the Dutchman admitting that the performance has been “amazing to see” from a new manufacturer.

With the first three days of 2026 pre-season testing in Bahrain now done and dusted, F1.com takes a closer look at the key numbers.

Fernando Alonso says Formula 1 drivers now have to drive 50km/h slower in high-speed corners to get the most out of the 2026 cars.
Meeting brand-new chassis and engine regulations, F1 machinery now features a much greater electric element, which has made energy management preponderant in terms of driving.
F1 racers now need to harvest as much energy as possible under deceleration to deploy ...Keep reading

Following the opening rounds of the WSK Super Master Series at La Conca and Sarno, the 2026 international karting season is ready to enter its most intense phase with the debut of the WSK Euro Series.
The event will take place today (14 February) at the Leopard Circuit in Viterbo, where approximately 260 drivers are expected for the first of the three rounds: Viterbo, Lonato and ...Keep reading

Formula E star Lucas di Grassi believes the 2026 Formula 1 cars have been designed “extremely badly”, as he questioned the logic behind the new regulations.
F1 has introduced a new set of power units this year as part of a wider technical overhaul, with the MGU-K system becoming more powerful and accounting for nearly half of the total output of the car.
These new rules have received ...Keep reading

Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell says his squad is now on the back foot as Red Bull is the "team to beat" at the start of 2026.
Mercedes was put on the pedestal before the start of pre-season testing amid rumours over its powerful new engine, and its reliable running in Barcelona's shakedown did little to dispel that the Brackley-based squad was poised to kick off the new rules era on ...Keep reading

Faith is a fundamental component to who Chandler Smith is as a man, father, husband and racer, so it comes to no surprise that he leaned on his convictions in articulating the range of emotions from missing the Daytona 500 to winning in the Truck Series 24 hours later.
“Truthfully, I pray a certain prayer before every race, and most of my prayers are very consistent in the certain sense of ...Keep reading

Chandler Smith was running sixth entering Turn 3, but he ended the night holding the checkered flag. He didn’t benefit from a wreck, but instead made a dramatic four-wide pass for the lead as the field drag-raced to the finish line. He beat runner-up Gio Ruggiero to the line by 0.044s, and just 0.069s separated the entire top five in the end.
John-Hunter Nemechek had the lead exiting the ...Keep reading

Tony Stewart hasn't competed in NASCAR since 2018, and he hasn't raced in the NASCAR Truck Series in almost twenty years, so there was a lot of hype around him on Friday night as he returned to drive a Ram Truck.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of Smoke, as he ran towards the back of the pack through the first two stages while the Kaulig Racing team worked on the handling of his ...Keep reading

After making a handful of starts in the ARCA Menard's Series race last year, Cleetus McFarland (real name Garrett Mitchell) made the jump up into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the 2026 season-opener.
Making his Truck Series debut with Niece Motorsports, Mitchell was running inside the top ten early in the event, but he never got the opportunity to do much as his race came to an abrupt ...Keep reading

F1 wrapped up the first of two official pre-season tests in Bahrain on Friday, with drivers continuing to learn more about their new-for-2026 machines – which boast plenty of interesting technical features...

Catch up on the big talking points from Day 3 of the first pre-season test in Bahrain with the F1 TV crew.

The second practice session for the Daytona 500 is complete, and there were no issues during the hour-long session. Manufacturers stayed with their own, running carefully coordinated groups to minimize risk.
Chevrolet had the biggest group, so it's no surprise that bowties dominated the top ten on the speed. Austin Dillon led the way in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (195.63mph) ...Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton has revealed which Winter Olympic sports he would be keen to try, admitting that while he would love to try cross-country skiing, he doesn't have the height needed.
The seven-time champion would be eager to try bobsledding and would hypothetically look to create his own Grenadian team.
"If I was to do a Winter Olympic sport, it would be bobsledding," the Briton explained ...Keep reading

At least for the time being, NASCAR’s identity is internal combustion engines that making loud noises and relate to a majority of the American consumer.
While the Sanctioning Body continues development on a prototype race car that can adapt to any alternative fuel or power source, all four manufacturers that compete across the three national tours are content with the internal combustion ...Keep reading

Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack has concluded that the car "has potential" after its first week of testing in Bahrain, but plenty of work remains as the team is already running behind schedule. 
The 2026 Formula 1 season brings a substantial change in regulations, but the Silverstone outfit sees more change than some on the grid as it welcomes Honda into the factory and Adrian ...Keep reading

Where else are you going to see an early 2000s sitcom star, an extreme sports athlete often compared to Evel Knievel, a NASCAR Hall of Famer who has been away for almost a decade, and a popular YouTuber who hates sleeves battle each other at speeds approaching 200mph? Only this Friday the 13th on FOX Sports 1, when the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) season officially gets ...Keep reading

Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta delivered a string of fast times to snatch the Rally Sweden lead away from his World Rally Championship team-mate Elfyn Evans after an eventful Friday.
Katsuta started the day sitting in third overall, but ended the leg of seven stages with a 2.8s margin over Evans. Sami Pajari, 22.2s back, locked out the top-three positions for Toyota as Hyundai’s difficult start ...Keep reading

The third and final day of pre-season testing saw some very high lap counts, as teams cracked on trying out different car set-ups and learning more about their power units and chassis. It's still too soon to suggest a true pecking order, but there were plenty more signs to help us build a picture ahead of next week's final test, and before the season opener in Australia on March 6-8.

The final day of the first 2026 pre-season test is now complete, with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli topping the timesheets.