Motoring News

During winter testing in Bahrain, no one appears keen to take on the role of favourite for the 2026 Formula 1 season. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has labelled Red Bull Racing as “the benchmark”, but the Milton Keynes outfit does not agree.
On Thursday, Max Verstappen hinted that he suspects extreme sandbagging at Mercedes: “Just wait until Melbourne and see how much power they suddenly ...Keep reading

Dan Ticktum has questioned the direction of Formula 1 after the championship's 2026 regulations have received differing opinions from drivers during testing in Bahrain. 
The Formula E race winner has reacted to the debate around what the next generation of F1 cars should feel like to drive and watch as the series enters a set of new regulations that rely substantially more on electrical energy ...Keep reading

Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell says it is too early to judge F1's new generation of cars amid criticism of how they are to drive.
At Bahrain's first three-day test, F1 drivers were finally able to sample the much-discussed 2026 generation of cars in representative conditions, with a lot of focus going towards optimising the ambitious hybrid energy rules.
Read ...Keep reading

George Russell set the pace during the morning session on the third day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, the Mercedes driver heading Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on the timesheets.

Elfyn Evans claimed the Rally Sweden lead to head a Toyota 1-2-3 as overnight frontrunner Oliver Solberg dropped to fifth following a dramatic Friday morning.
After three snow stages, Evans headed to the midday service with a 14.5s lead over Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, with team-mate Sami Pajari in third [+23.3s]. The top five was completed by the returning Esapekka Lappi [+34.9s], who led the ...Keep reading

Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag in this Sunday's Daytona 500, driving the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Chase Briscoe will join him on the front row for 'The Great American Race' after these two topped qualifying on Wednesday.
But after the Duel qualifying races on Thursday, which were won by Joey Logano and Chase Elliott, we now know the starting positions for the ...Keep reading

Jenson Button believes Lando Norris will be returning this season as a "formidable force" after winning his first Formula 1 world title last year. 
Speaking on Sky Sports F1 ahead of testing in Bahrain, the 2009 F1 world champion reflected on his experience of making the most of a change in regulations as he called the 2026 changes "the biggest one we've probably seen in modern F1" given the ...Keep reading

Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz made an appearance in the Bahrain International Circuit paddock during pre-season testing.
The world No. 1 men's singles tennis player visited fellow Spaniards Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, as well as stopping by the McLaren and Ferrari garages.
After becoming the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January, the ...Keep reading

When Alpine’s A526 hit the track in Barcelona for ‘shakedown week’ at the end of January, it didn’t take long for eagle-eyed viewers to observe an unusual characteristic of the front wing. Even though pretty much the only external media present were watching through binoculars from a succession of nearby hills, frequently moved on by pointlessly heavy-handed security.
‘Team Enstone’ ...Keep reading

Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds has invited Max Verstappen to this weekend’s Jeddah E-Prix after the Red Bull driver slammed the 2026 Formula 1 cars as “Formula E on steroids”.
Verstappen caused a stir on the second day of the F1 testing in Bahrain when he voiced concerns about the new generation of grand prix machinery, particularly criticising the greater reliance on energy management.
“A ...Keep reading

Max Verstappen has still not fully committed to competing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2026 despite the organisers moving the date for the preparation race to accommodate the Dutchman's Formula 1 calendar.
The four-time F1 champion is eager to have a race to prepare for the main event to gain some experience with driver changes and pitstops. While he is currently working on making it happen ...Keep reading

George Russell topped the final morning session of Formula 1’s first Bahrain pre-season test, leading Lewis Hamilton.
Russell set the fastest time of the week so far less than half an hour into Friday’s running, with a 1m34.075s on soft tyres. Thirty minutes later, the Mercedes driver improved his own benchmark to a 1m33.918s, precisely as Ferrari’s Hamilton set a 1m34.209s.
Nobody ...Keep reading

Alex Albon's partner Lily Muni He has shared details of their romantic engagement during the winter break.
The couple announced their engagement on 16 January 2026, with a Polaroid-style photo and the caption, "I guess we’re stuck with each other now."
 
While the couple have understandably remained fairly private about the personal milestone, Muni He has now shared some ...Keep reading

Jack Doohan was all smiles as he arrived at the Bahrain International Circuit this week in his new role as a reserve driver for Haas, calling the move a “clean slate” that will take him “back to the drawing board”.

New Red Bull signing Isack Hadjar is confident that he can win races in the 2026 Formula 1 campaign despite the struggles his predecessors faced against Max Verstappen.
The 21-year-old will partner the four-time world champion this year after replacing Yuki Tsunoda, who endured a disastrous 22-round stint with Red Bull last season by scoring just 30 points.
But Tsunoda isn’t the only ...Keep reading

Max Verstappen did not take to the track on Thursday at Formula 1’s Bahrain pre-season test, yet the headlines were still dominated by the four-time world champion.
The Red Bull driver fulfilled his media duties and shared his views on the new regulations, describing F1’s new era as “Formula E on steroids” and “anti-racing”.
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Formula 1Max Verstappen ...Keep reading

Keep up to date with all the action - both on track and off it - as the 11 F1 teams work on preparations for the 2026 season. Live coverage of Day 3 in Bahrain.

One more day of running lies ahead of the teams at the first official 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain, but who exactly will be in action? Check out the complete driver list in the table below...

There's nothing more perilous than taking early Formula 1 testing numbers at face value, so while McLaren keeps leading the mileage charts in Bahrain and circulates near the top of the timesheets, the team doesn't appear to be particularly ecstatic about where it is right now.
The paddock in Manama appears to be split into camps who believe Mercedes still has an ace up its Adidas-branded ...Keep reading

Just like everyone predicted, BJ McLeod Motorsports and Garage 66 made it into the Daytona 500 over cars fielded by RFK Racing, Front Row Motorsports and a Richard Childress Racing affiliate.
In the words of Casey Mears, driving the Garage66 for Carl Long, anything can happen at Daytona.
It’s the reason McLeod and Mears signed up to drive figurative knives to a figurative gunfight. When ...Keep reading