Motoring News

Dacia announces exit from Rally-Raid, rules out 2027 Dakar

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 14:11
Dacia has confirmed that it will compete in the entire 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship before bringing its project to a close at the season-ending event in Abu Dhabi – ruling out a return to the Dakar in 2027.
The tracks had barely cleared in the desert following the latest triumph for Dacia at the 2026 Dakar when the brand decided to bring the curtain down on its rally-raid adventure ...Keep reading

Fermin Aldeguer to miss Thai GP, Gresini names replacement

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 12:54
Fermin Aldeguer will sit out MotoGP’s season-opening Thailand Grand Prix on 1 March as he continues to recover from a femur fracture.
Although Aldeguer had already been declared unfit for the first pre-season test at Sepang earlier this month, he hadn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to action in Buriram following his crash in January.
But on Thursday, Gresini Racing announced ...Keep reading

Leclerc sets morning pace on Day 2 of Bahrain test

Formula 1 - Thu, 2026-02-12 12:30
Charles Leclerc was the pacesetter during the second morning of pre-season testing in Bahrain, heading Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly at the top of the timesheets.

Why race starts may be chaotic in early rounds of F1 2026

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 12:10
The 2026 Formula 1 regulation change has brought all kinds of challenges to the drivers given the cars are now totally different from their predecessors. A chassis, for example, is approximately 32kg lighter with significantly less downforce, while the power unit is much more reliant on electric energy having a near-50:50 split alongside the internal combustion engine.
It is the changes to the ...Keep reading

Aston Martin opens extra cooling vents on extreme AMR26 as Honda engine issues emerge

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 11:48
This is not the start Aston Martin had hoped for in the 2026 Formula 1 season. After falling behind in the Barcelona shakedown, the team was expected to recover the mileage and valuable time lost in Spain due to issues with assembling the car. However, she first day in Sakhir did not go smoothly and the Silverstone-based team had to give up a large part of the session due to technical problems ...Keep reading

Toto Wolff reveals Mercedes-AMG influence on NLS date switch to open door for Max Verstappen

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 11:11
Toto Wolff has confirmed that it was Mercedes-AMG that pushed to change the dates of the preparation races for the Nürburgring 24 Hours to accommodate Max Verstappen due to the influence the four-time Formula 1 champion has on the series' viewership.
After making his GT3 debut, and winning, in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) in 2025, Verstappen has been eager to continue with his ...Keep reading

F1 2026 Bahrain pre-season test: Charles Leclerc fastest as unreliability hits Mercedes, Red Bull

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 11:09
Charles Leclerc topped the second morning of Formula 1’s opening Bahrain pre-season test, as Mercedes and Red Bull were hit by reliability trouble alongside Cadillac.
About an hour and 15 minutes into the session, Leclerc drove Ferrari’s SF-26 to a 1m34.273s, which is four tenths faster than McLaren’s Lando Norris achieved on Wednesday.
Norris’ own 1m34.669s benchmark was set on ...Keep reading

Formula E to stage Tokyo E-Prix as a night race in 2026

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 10:10
Formula E has announced that the Tokyo E-Prix will become a night race, with this year’s double-header set to take place under floodlights.
Ahead of the third edition of the Japan event, the championship revealed that the two races will start at 8pm local time, five hours later than they were originally scheduled. 
The news was revealed on the eve of this weekend’s Jeddah E-Prix ...Keep reading

7 of the cleverest deceptions in F1 testing history

Formula 1 - Thu, 2026-02-12 09:30
“All warfare is based on deception,” wrote Sun Tzu in his famous military strategy treatise, The Art of War – and what is Formula 1 if not the ultimate sporting war, with warrior-like drivers backed by armies of people whose one goal is the crushing defeat of the opposition.

LIVE COVERAGE: Day 2 of pre-season testing in Bahrain

Formula 1 - Thu, 2026-02-12 09:30
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 2 in Bahrain.

Mercedes and Red Bull hit trouble on second Bahrain F1 test day

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 09:27
The Mercedes Formula 1 team has encountered its second issue of the Bahrain test, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli's W17 breaking down after just three laps with a power unit issue.
Mercedes had been reliably racking up miles at Barcelona's shakedown, but its running in Bahrain has now been halted for two consecutive days. On Wednesday afternoon Antonelli was restricted to 30 laps with a suspension ...Keep reading

Carlos Sainz: Red Bull Ford "a clear step ahead" on crucial hybrid usage

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 08:25
Williams driver Carlos Sainz says Red Bull Ford's power units have looked "a step ahead", backing similar comments by Mercedes, as he offered fresh insight into how to get the best of out the 2026 generation of cars.
On Wednesday, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said Red Bull Ford's power units are currently the benchmark in Bahrain winter testing, singling out the new manufacturer's outstanding ...Keep reading

Cadillac wants to "earn the respect" of F1 rivals in 2026

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 08:08
Cadillac consultant Pat Symonds says F1's 11th team wants to "earn the respect" of its more experienced rivals with how the squad tackles its debut season.
While the true pecking order will take some time to fully emerge, Cadillac doesn't appear to be completely out of the ballpark - the 107% rule that team principal Graeme Lowdon's previous start-up team Manor had to battle on a regular basis ...Keep reading

Lewis Hamilton: Fans won’t understand “ridiculously complex" F1 energy management

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 07:00
While each lap of 2026 Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain adds to the teams' accumulated knowledge of how the cars will function when the racing begins, questions remain over how key elements of the spectacle will work, and how it will be communicated to fans, spectators and casual TV viewers.
Despite extensive briefings, drivers are still getting to grips with the complex demands of the ...Keep reading

Who’s driving on Day 2 of the first Bahrain test

Formula 1 - Thu, 2026-02-12 06:28
With every team and driver eager to tick off more laps and gather as much data as possible, there will be plenty of action on Day 2 of the first pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit. But who will be behind the wheel throughout Thursday’s running? Check out the complete list below...

There were four winners after Daytona 500 qualifying

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 05:36
As always by the end of Wednesday night at the modern Daytona 500, there were four groups of winners after qualifying for the Great American Race.
Kyle Busch and the Richard Childress Racing No. 8Chase Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19Corey Heim and the 23XI Racing No. 67Justin Allgaier and the JR Motorsports No. 40
Busch and Briscoe locked into the front row while Heim and Allgaier posted ...Keep reading

Official starting lineup for the Daytona Duel qualifying races

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 04:15
On Wednesday evening, Kyle Busch rocketed to the top of the speed charts in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, securing pole position for this weekend's Daytona 500. He will share the front row with the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Chase Briscoe, which means these two drivers will be the pole-sitters for their respective Duel races.
In Duel #1, it will be Busch and Ryan Preece ...Keep reading

Kyle Busch and RCR win pole position for the 2026 Daytona 500

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 03:07
Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag for the 68th running of the Daytona, lapping the 2.5-mile superspeedway in 49.006s (183.651mph) to win pole position. He will share the front row with Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 
This will be Busch's 21st start in the Daytona 500 -- a race he has never won before -- and this will be the two-time Cup champion's fist pole ...Keep reading

Noah Gragson's Daytona 500 qualifying lap disallowed for using banned tactic

Motorsport - Thu, 2026-02-12 01:52
In every superspeedway race of the Next Gen era, NASCAR Cup drivers can be seen placing their hands against the opening between the A-pillar and window net in an effort to find every possible aero advantage. Drivers have gone as far as manipulating their gloves, including the infamous case where Joey Logano was penalized for illegal webbed racing gloves.
To avoid the situation entirely, NASCAR ...Keep reading

Three terrifying cases challenge a lifelong sceptic

Formula 1 at the BBC - Thu, 2026-02-12 01:43
A professor famous for debunking hoaxes investigates three unsolvable cases.

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